Movie and Television Reviews

R Rated trailer:

PG Trailer:

Superbad is as critical an entry to the high school nerd sub-genre as Napoleon Dynamite and probably a better movie.

In Superbad, three nerds Seth and Evan undertake a teen quest to become Biblically intimate with super bad chicks, Jules and Becca by bringing alcohol to Jules' graduation party. When their plan meets Murphy, they're forced to deal with two maturity-peer cops, a party attended by low-lifes (low lifes have hot girl friends- go figure), and their own interpersonal conflict having to do with loyalty and the meaning of friendship. Pretty simple, right? Yes, but teeming with the most originally witty moments I've seen in at least a couple of years and tightly edited to create at least a smidgen of tension.

If plot were the only consideration, Superbad would only be a little more complicated and sensical that The Bourne Ultimatum, but this is a comedy and Superbad, unlike Bourne, is laugh-out-loud hilarious, visually and verbally; with jokes ranging from the crude to the near-profound - sometimes within the same gag. Of those repeatable on my PG-13 blog, here's two:

Relating the high quality of men dated by lust object Jules (Emma Stone), Seth describes one guy as having had a “six pack since kindergarten” and another as being so sensitive, when he looks into his eyes it's like “the first time I heard the Beatles.”

A montage of Seth's adolescent penis-drawing OCD (apparently affecting 8% of children) is comedic platinum and one of the funniest sequences in cinema history.

The humor is base, but not stupid. The conversations are believable nerd banter and offer an insight into the world of adolescent boys and the ethical decisions that accompany their obsession for the fairer sex.

Like Napoleon Dynamite, Superbad extends the nerd stereotype to include new characters and unique interpretations of the ones with which you're familiar.**

Of the three primary nerds, Seth is the most disgusting. The only character who approaches Seth's thoughtful, matter-of-fact raunchiness is the 40 Year Old Virgin's Cal (Seth Rogan wrote Superbad. No doubt it was based on his own experiences), the co-worker who talks about Tijuanan interspecies sex shows. Lacking confidence in his seduction prowess, Seth concocts a less than original strategy for attaining his goal: get the girl drunk. As his superego hasn't quite caught up with his id, his thoughts and the words (and body language) that accompany them are revolting but honest.

He's brave and abrasive, but only to those at a disadvantage. When confronted by school bullies, he withers and projects his cowardice onto his friend, Evan.

Evan is the ethical nerd and here plays innocent strait-geek to Seth's squidly monstrosity. He also wants, but follows a code of chivalry that Seth never even attempts outside of his Paladin characters, I'm sure. He refuses easy pickings in an admirable demonstration of gentlemanly restraint and is the one who regrets leaving the third nerd with the police at the liquor store.

That third nerd is hip-hop quoting, tough/cool pretentious, self-unaware Fogell (Christopher Mintz-Plasse). He's a traditional nerd in the socially awkward Jim Levenstein mold. Although conventional, the writers give him world-beating nerd material.

A work of genius in its own right, Superbad is a mighty contribution to the nerd oeuvre.

The music's good too.

Politics/ Message:

No politics. Despite the unflattering portrayal of police, I didn't get the feeling that the writers intended anything else than to make us laugh.

There's no geek-as victim/ nerd-jock message as in the touchstone of geek cinema, Revenge of the Nerds.

Respect for women is an implied good. Which beings me to the most controversial message: Women are different from men in their approach to sexual relations. They require self-imposed deference from men, yet aren't inferior or even less powerful. In fact, they're capable of inspiring the dumbest and most extreme behavior in men (for what other reason would the boys undertake their inconvenient adventure). In this way only, Super Bad is super conformist.

Footnotes:

**I myself am very cool, but when I feel like social-slumming it, I hang out with some nerd acquaintances. I thank them for giving me an otherwise rare insight into their bizarre world. By the way, are we playing minis this Wed. or Heroscape again?

Listen to Super Bad from James Brown. It doesn't have anything to do with the movie, but it's a great song.

James Brown - 20 All-Time Greatest Hits!

Revenge of the Nerds: The Atomic Wedgie Collection

The 40-Year-Old Virgin (Unrated Widescreen Edition)

Napoleon Dynamite

Credits:

Follow up:

Directed by
Greg Mottola

Writing credits
(WGA)
Seth Rogen (written by) &
Evan Goldberg (written by)

Cast (in credits order)

Jonah Hill ... Seth

Michael Cera ... Evan

Christopher Mintz-Plasse ... Fogell

Bill Hader ... Officer Slater
Seth Rogen ... Officer Michaels

Martha MacIsaac ... Becca

Emma Stone ... Jules

Aviva ... Nicola

Joe Lo Truglio ... Francis the Driver

Kevin Corrigan ... Mark
Clement Blake ... Homeless Guy (as Clement E. Blake)
Erica Vittina Phillips ... Mindy (Liquor Store Cashier)

Joe Nunez ... Liquor Store Clerk (as Joseph A. Nunez)

Dave Franco ... Greg the Soccer Player

Marcella Lentz-Pope ... Gabby

Scott Gerbacia ... Jesse (as Scottie Gerbacia)

Laura Seay ... Shirley
Roger Iwata ... Miroki

Clint Mabry ... Prosthetic Leg Kid
Stacy Edwards ... Evan's Mom
Mark Rogen ... Father with Bat

Charlie Hartsock ... Good Shopper Cashier
Donna Hardy ... Old Lady

Charley Rossman ... Good Shopper Security

Carla Gallo ... Period Blood Girl
Ben Best ... Quince Danbury
Jody Hill ... Tut Long John Silver
Kevin Breznahan ... Patrick Manchester

David Krumholtz ... Benji Austin

Mousa Kraish ... Billy Baybridge
Nicholas Jasenovec ... Coffee Fairmount

Martin Starr ... James Masselin

Keith Loneker ... Wild Bill Cherry (as Keith Joseph Loneker)

Matthew McKane ... Kane Cloverdale
Lauren Miller ... Scarlett Brighton
Peter Salett ... Tiger Greendragon

Rakefet Abergel ... Muffin Selby

Brooke Dillman ... Mrs. Hayworth

Michael Naughton ... Gym Teacher
Steve Bannos ... Math Teacher

Casey Margolis ... Young Seth

Laura Marano ... Young Becca

Matthew Bass ... Vagtastic Voyager
Aurora Snow ... Vagtastic Voyage Girl #1
Ted Haigh ... Bartender
Jenna Haze ... Vagtastic Voyage Girl #2
Michael Fennessey ... Bus Driver

Brian Huskey ... Elementary Principal
Clark Duke ... Party Teenager #1

Stephen Borrello IV ... Party Teenager #2

Naathan Phan ... Party Teenager #3

Pamella D'Pella ... Teacher
rest of cast listed alphabetically:

Amanda Zubillaga ... Dancing Party Girl

Produced by
Judd Apatow .... producer
Evan Goldberg .... executive producer
Shauna Robertson .... producer
Seth Rogen .... executive producer